Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England

Site is open to the public. Opening may be limited, please check Visitor Information for any restrictions.

Brief description of site

Laid out by Sir John Vanbrugh and Henry Wise in the 1720s for the Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim has formal gardens and pleasure grounds within a landscape park, the whole site covering 975 hectares.

Brief history of site

Henry I (1100-35) appears to have first enclosed the park at Woodstock at the beginning of the 12th century, it subsequently becoming an important royal hunting park. The site was developed over the next centuries, but by 1705 was probably in poor condition. The manor was granted to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough by Queen Anne in 1705, for his services in defeating the French in Europe. She built a house for him on the site and called it Blenheim, after the 1704 victory at the battle of Blindheim, close to the Danube. The house was built by Sir John Vanbrugh between 1705 and 1722, with formal gardens by Henry Wise. A formal canal scheme was laid out after 1722, and in 1764 Lancelot Brown was called in to landscape the park. A substantial rock garden was created in the early-19th century. Restoration and re-planting were undertaken in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The formal gardens were redesigned in the early 20th century by Achille Duchene.

Location information:

OS Landranger Map Sheet Number:	164	Grid Ref:	SP441161
Latitude:	51.84177	Longitude:	-1.361291

Key information:

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